Vehicle Compartment Item Presence Detection System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Passenger vehicle operators face challenges in determining if items are left within compartments, leading to inefficiencies in inventory and maintenance inspections, and premature latch and door failures due to frequent cycles during inspections.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a controller, sensors, an indicator, and a vehicle system bus that communicates with a tangible memory to determine if an item is present within a compartment, generating alerts and activating indicators when an abnormality is detected based on vehicle state and compartment information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual inspection of compartments is performed, then item presence can be determined, but significant downtime is required and latch/door cycles increase causing premature failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical inspection with an automated sensor system that uses optical, electromagnetic, or other non-contact sensing methods to detect item presence in compartments. This eliminates the need for physical opening and visual inspection, thereby reducing inspection downtime while maintaining detection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The compartment monitoring system operates autonomously by continuously or periodically sensing compartment status without requiring human intervention. The system self-reporting item presence or absence to the central control system, eliminating the need for scheduled manual inspections and reducing operational downtime.
2Measurement precision
If frequent manual inspections are performed, then item presence can be monitored, but latch and door cycles increase causing premature failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces repeated mechanical opening/closing of compartment doors with a non-contact sensing system. Sensors detect item presence through the closed door or during single installation-phase access, eliminating frequent mechanical cycles that cause wear and premature latch/door failure while maintaining continuous monitoring capability.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If compartments remain closed during inspections, then component lifespan is extended, but item presence cannot be determined
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces sensors as intermediary devices that can detect item presence through the closed compartment door or during brief access periods. These sensors act as mediators between the closed compartment and the monitoring system, providing information about item presence without requiring the compartment to be opened for visual inspection, thus preserving component lifespan while maintaining information flow.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and method for vehicle compartment item presence indication senses an item (124)) within a vehicle compartment (120) and notifies a user if the item is expected or unexpected within the compartment based on a vehicle state. Should the item be expected in a compartment during a phase of flight where the compartment is expected to contain items, there is no abnormal indication. However, if a compartment is expected to be empty during a specific phase of flight and the sensors (130) indicate an item is present, the system will alert the user to the unexpected item.